How SWRMC Became SWRMC: A History of
Maintenance Activity in San Diego

SWRMC History

Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) officially turned 20 on Nov. 4, marking the consolidation of five commands whose histories span most of the U.S. Navy’s maintenance presence in San Diego. Here’s a timeline of important events both in the region and beyond that played a role in our formation:

1919: SWRMC’s roots trace back to the early 20th century when the U.S. Navy purchased land at what is now Naval Base San Diego, intending to use it as a repair base.

1921: Custody of the property was assumed, and by May of that year, the repair tender USS Prairie (AD 5) was moored at the site.

22 February 1922: U.S. Destroyer Base, San Diego, was commissioned, serving as a docking and repair base while providing upkeep and preservation of decommissioned World War I destroyers.

7 October 1943: During World War II, the facility was redesignated as Naval Repair Base San Diego, performing conversions, overhauls, maintenance, and battle damage repairs on 5,117 ships over two years.

15 September 1946: The base was renamed Naval Base San Diego, though repair functions continued under several different commands that eventually consolidated into SWRMC.

The following were the commands that merged to form SWRMC:
 

Supervisor of Ships, Conversion and Repair, San Diego (SSSD)

1964: Repair functions were assigned to the 11th Naval District Industrial Manager.

16 December 1966: The Industrial Manager’s role evolved into the Supervisor of Ships, Conversion, and Repair, San Diego (SSSD), providing Contract Management Oversight (CMO) in the region. Before being integrated into SWRMC in 2004, SSSD existed as a NAVSEA entity, with current operations focusing on CMO for new ship construction at sites including Bath, Maine; Groton, Connecticut; Pascagoula, Mississippi; and Newport News, Virginia—missions outside SWRMC’s current scope.
 

Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity (SIMA), San Diego

1967: The U.S. Naval Development and Training Center (DATC), Pacific Fleet, separated from SSSD.

1975: DATC was renamed DATC/Fleet Maintenance Assistance Group (FMAG), shifting from training and repair to ship maintenance.

1 October 1978: DATC/FMAG became Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity (SIMA), San Diego, addressing sea-duty rotation issues after the Vietnam War. Following the Cold War, SIMA facilities were consolidated or closed nationwide, transferring production capabilities to shore-based entities like SWRMC.
 

Consolidated Divers Group

1 October 1986: U.S. Navy divers formed the Consolidated Divers Group, consolidating intermediate maintenance tender activities. Upon integration in 2004, the group brought underwater ship husbandry to SWRMC’s capabilities.
 

Regional Maintenance Center, Southwest (SWRMC)

1967: SWRMC’s namesake predecessor was established as a Pacific Fleet support unit.

1981: The support unit became the Regional Support Group.

10 April 1996: The Regional Maintenance Center, Southwest (SWRMC), was formally established.

The regional maintenance center concept originated in 1993 when the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) tasked Atlantic and Pacific Fleet commanders to streamline maintenance functions, reducing the infrastructure required for an 80s-sized fleet. The regional maintenance program focused on improving processes, integrating supply and maintenance functions, and ensuring compatibility across maintenance levels.
SWRMC began as a small team of engineers and civilians dedicated to supporting Pacific Fleet material readiness by identifying, validating, screening, prioritizing, progressing, and providing logistics support for maintenance.
 

Fleet Technical Support Center, Pacific (FTSCPAC)

30 September 1994: FTSCPAC was formed through the consolidation of several NAVSEA entities and mobile technical units, focusing on shipboard repair self-sufficiency through training provided by system and equipment experts.

In 2002, discussions began to consolidate key maintenance functions and eliminate redundancies among SWRMC, SIMA, FTSCPAC, and SSSD. That same year, SWRMC piloted a new maintenance and work brokering program for USS Tarawa (LHA 1), bringing maintenance managers together to coordinate maintenance availabilities and casualty repairs in a single office.

In 2003, SWRMC advanced the CNO’s Sea Enterprise initiatives by establishing two leadership bodies—the Maintenance Executive Panel and the Local Board of Directors—to guide the Navy Modernization Process (then called SHIPMAIN) and regionalization efforts.

The regionalization initiative in San Diego culminated in the consolidation of five commands under the SWRMC title. The de-establishment of the original SWRMC and the formation of the unified command took place on Nov. 4, 2004.
SWRMC commemorated this formation recently on Nov. 13, an event highlighting two decades of achievements and a rich legacy of naval ship maintenance in San Diego. The moment touched on a legacy of process improvement as SWRMC and its predecessors have always been committed to changing with the times to meet warfighting readiness needs of the future.

 

 

SWRMC delivers superior ship maintenance, modernization, technical support, training, and innovative solutions to support ship readiness across the Fleet.